Tag: weight

There is a lot of information out there on how to lose weight. Unfortunately, this information very often does not take into account our individual differences or our unique biology. If you are someone who has a slow metabolism, then you will burn fewer calories than someone who has a very fast one.

If you are someone who is very tall, then the amount you need to eat is different than it is for someone very short. Even more extreme though are the differences between men and women and the strategies that work best for each. If you are female and you are trying to lose weight, then here are some tips that you might not have read before…

Lift Weights

The biggest tip that every woman should know when it comes to weight loss, is that they should try weightlifting or another form of ‘resistance’ training.

In other words, women should drop the over-reliance on cardio exercise and start lifting weights!

Many women worry about this because they think that they are going to get ‘too bulky’ and that the resultant look will be unattractive.

In reality though, it is actually very hard to become bulky and especially for a woman. What’s more likely is that added muscle mass will simply speed up your metabolism (muscle is what we call ‘metabolically active’) and that will allow you to burn fat at a faster rate.

In fact, this is one of the main reasons that men lose weight faster than women!
At the same time, lifting weight will help women to gain the right proportions, to tone up and to increase their tone and definition in order to get rid of things like cellulite. It will even increase the production of fat burning hormones!

The fastest way to get a more attractive body as a woman is to lift weights.

Consider Other Lifestyle Factors, Medications and Conditions

Hormones play a large role in fat burning and muscle mass and the biggest drivers here include testosterone and estrogen.

So, women are at a disadvantage already when it comes to burning fat but things get more complicated still when you consider the other factors involved: things like the menstrual cycle for instance which causes hormones to fluctuate at different times of the month.

More of an issue is the role of contraceptive medication which can cause weight gain or weight loss depending on how the body reacts.

Then there are conditions like polycystic ovaries which only affect women and like hypothyroidism which is more common for women. If you find it very difficult to lose weight, consult your doctor.

And make sure that you are eating well and getting all of your nutrients in order to support your body’s metabolic function and hormone balance.

Finally, note that these hormones also impact on emotional eating – which studies confirm to be a larger issue for women versus men. Keep this in mind and try to maintain your emotional state while avoiding temptation as far as you can.

Looking to lose weight fast? Then unfortunately there is no substitute for simple exercise and healthy eating. While this is true though, it’s also true that you can make life a little easier for yourself with a few smart tricks to speed up the process and help you lose weight more efficiently.

Read on and we’ll take a look at some of the best hacks out there for more rapidly melting away fat…

Cut Out Sugary Drinks

Did you know that a soda drink like 7Up has as much sugar in it as multiple Cream Eggs? Too often we forget about what we drink but actually, this is often responsible for a lot of additional calories.

Just as important as this are creamy coffees like cappuccinos which are also very calorific and of course alcoholic beverages like beer.

Switch to water and you’ll instantly burn a lot more calories!

And the Rest

There are other sources of calories that are very often overlooked. These include things like butter on your bread and sugar in your tea.

Make sure that all calories are accounted for!

Eat More Slowly

Eating more slowly can help you to feel fuller and digest your food better meaning you get greater vitamin and mineral absorption.

If you struggle with this, make a conscious effort to chew a certain number of times on each mouthful.

Drink More Water

Drinking more water will accelerate your metabolism and once more help you to digest your food better and break it down more.

Exercise First Thing in the Morning

While you sleep, you are not able to eat. This means that you are essentially fasting and when you wake up, you will have very low blood sugar and a high amount of fat-burning hormones like adrenaline.

If you exercise during this time, then your body will have no choice but to burn fat. Studies show that as a result, fasted cardio helps you to burn more fat and more calories than regular exercise. Try going for a run first thing in the morning.

Eat Carbs After Exercise

Another reason that fasted cardio works well is that it lends itself perfectly to carb backloading.

This is a system where you consume carbohydrates only after intensive exercise. By doing this, you are able to ensure that the calories you consume are used to replenish depleted stores of glycogen in your cells – rather than being stored as fat.

Double up on these strategies by running early in the morning before breakfast and then eating something with complex carbs when you finish.

Take Cold Showers

A cold shower will not only burn calories directly (as the body uses energy to try and heat itself back up) but will also increase the release of adrenaline and not to mention testosterone.

Sleep More

One of the times we burn the most fat is when we sleep, so make sure you are getting enough and that the quality is high too.

Walk

Finally, note that one of the very best ways to burn fat is to walk more. Look for ways to fit more walking into your routine and you’ll burn fat without tiring yourself out!

Other than physical appearance weight affects a person in many ways. This could be the overall quality of life, self-esteem, depression, health risks, and physical incapabilities . There are a lot of positive changes once a person experience weight loss. It is for this reason why a lot of people are searching for a weight loss technique that will surely trim down those fats and get a super slim head turner body.

The first thing that an over-weight should do is seek a doctor to recommend the best weight loss regimen. This will be done after a full physical examination, which leads to the determination of proper weight loss technique. And to lose weight fast and effectively four aspects of life should be changed: what to eat, how to eat, behavior and activity level.

Here are fast tips that can change an over-weight’s life:

First: Fast weight loss composes of a multi-faceted technique that consists mindset, exercise, and in other cases, diet supplements. Begin by learning a diet food plan that can easily be accustomed with. Incorporate an exercise plan that allows even at least fifteen minutes a day like brisk walking, running, swimming, and dancing.

Second: Set realistic approaches. The ability to focus and have proper mindset enables someone on a diet to quickly lose those extra pounds. With discipline and proper mind set, a dieter will never be discouraged and lose focus.

Third: Listen as the body speaks. Each and everyone’s body metabolism reacts differently to different fast weight loss programs and plans. Try substituting one program for another to compensate the body’s reaction. Exercise program must be suitable to one’s body, as others are not able to exercise as rigorously as others can. If walking is all that can be done, then walk for this is proven the best exercise. Muscles burn more calories than fats so it’s also best to put on a little muscle and looking good too.

Fourth: Eat more fibers for it makes a person full sooner and stays in the tummy longer, slowing down the rate of digestion. A single serving of whole grain bread moves fat through the digestive system faster. Grains turn into blood sugar that spikes the body’s insulin level. Thus, making the body more energized and ready to tell the body when it should stop burning fats or start storing.

Fifth: Keep away from fried foods especially deep-fried as this contains a great amount of fat. Although fish and chicken appear leaner than beef, this white meat can contain more fat than when a beef is fried. It is recommended for those on strict diet to opt for grilled food as this does not have or contain less amount of fat after the food is cooked.

Sixth: Takes lots of fluid. Drinking at least six to eight glasses of water a day keeps the body refreshed. Since weight loss depends on how the body eliminates body wastes, the body must stay hydrated.

All in all, discipline and consistency is still the best practice and the key to a rapid weight loss success. Light dieting, workout, and right amount of supplementation applied in a regular way everyday will result in faster weight loss than having a massive action only to be followed a return to old habits as this would only lead to gaining more weight than when the weight loss plan has started.

These days, there is a great need for over weight Americans to lose those excess pounds. Being healthy would not only lead them to have a healthier lifestyle but it will also literally lighten their load, and improve their overall well-being.

There is a long list of dieting options available. There are exercise programs, exercise machines, dietary supplements, dietary food and drinks, diet pills – there are even soaps which claim to help you lose pounds while you bathe.

One other available option to shed off those unwanted pounds is to go herbal.

Herbal weight loss products have been in great demand for people who want to lose weight the natural way. However, when you take herbal supplements to lose weight, you would have to wait for a longer time for the results because of the more subtle effects of medicines which came from plants and natural herbs.

Here are some herbal weight loss options that you might want to consider:

1. Herbal weight loss products

There are a lot of herbal weight loss products available in the market now. You can check out the Internet and you will find a lot of herbal weight loss pills and products.

Be careful, however, as there are some products which claim to be safe and natural because they are herbal, but some actually have side effects because of non-extensive research on the effects of these products.

Here are some ingredients and chemicals which make up some herbal weight loss products that you should watch out for, as they might have harmful effects to your health:

Senna. This is an herbal laxative. Senna is a main ingredient in weight loss teas, and it works by stimulation the colon. The downside effect of this herb is dehydration. It can also lead to colon problems and can become addictive. Some people, when addicted, are unable to perform bowel movements without it, so watch out.

Chromium picolinate. This is a synthetic compound found in herbal weight loss products. Chromium is a nutrient which helps regulate blood-sugar level. However, this ingredient, when taken in high doses, may cause damage in the chromosomes. It can also lead to dehydration.

St. John’s wort. This supplement increases the production of a chemical in the brain. If not used properly, it may cause eye and skin sensitivity, mild gastrointestinal distress, fatigue and itching.

Although a lot of herbal products claim to be safe and natural, it is better to scrutinize the ingredients and research about the effects of the product itself before going for these herbal dietary pills.

2. Organic food.

In Wichita, Kansas, organic food has found its way to more homes and restaurants. Organic food devotees believe that consuming organic goodies help their bodies as well as the environment.

A person who buys organically raised eggs and vegetables claim to be healthier, and they are not spending money on doctors and prescriptions as these keep them healthier and away from the hospital. This could also be an option for weight watchers, as organic food is known to be kinder to your weight than chemically-processed food products.

3. Green Tea.

Studies show that intake of green tea, or green tea extracts burns extra calories. Also, green tea with caffeine can increase fat burning by up to 40% thereby reducing fat.

This is one good option for those who want to lose weight. In a study done, people who took green tea were found to lose 2 to 3 times more weight than those who did not drink green tea.

These results show that green tea is a natural product for the treatment of obesity. Thus, it also makes for a healthier dietary option, not to mention the good effects that it has on the body as compared to caffeine. A cup of tea gives an emmediate energy lift without the side effects of caffeine.

4. Caffeine.

Coffee provides an energy boost to increase fat burning. Caffeine also provides a likelihood to be active, which in turn increases your rate of calorie burn.

5. Immortality Herb

This herb, whose scientific name is Gymnostemna Pentaphyllum, is known to have the following benefits:

Almost 108 million Americans were over weight or obese in 1999. Until now, obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.

One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight or obese.

Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself in risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:

heart disease

stroke

diabetes

cancer

arthritis

hypertension

Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases.

The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.

It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.

Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:

1. Do not starve your self.

The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.

You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted flabs on your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.

If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight to your problem area (i.e. highs, buttocks, hips).

2. Start your day right.

Mothers always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism.

Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.

3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.

Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.

4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.

Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.

Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.

7. Watch your fat intake.

Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level.

There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.

8. Exercise.

Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activities and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.

It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself.

Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.

Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.

That’s right, you read it correctly…YOU MUST EAT MORE—A whole lot more than you’re eating right now. You have to eat 5-7 meals a day to fire up your metabolism to lose weight.

Your body needs a constant supply of energy to burn fat, and if you don’t eat a meal every two or three hours…Your metabolism will become so slow that you’ll gain weight just by looking at food.
The sooner you start eating more…the sooner you’ll be able to eat the foods you like without worrying about gaining weight.

Now I don’t mean for you to eat 5 large dinner sized meals everyday. You should try to eat 5-7 smaller 250 – 400 calorie meals every 2-3 hours.

Start Playing Golf

Before you say “what the heck does golf have to do with me losing weight”…Let me explain.
People always tell me that they don’t have time to exercise, their too tired to exercise, or they don’t feel like exercising.

But they always find time to have fun. Look, you don’t have to get on a treadmill everyday, take aerobics, or swim laps to lose weight….…you can lose weight playing golf, playing with your kids, and you can even go to the mall shopping.

What do all those things have in common? They’re all things that involve you moving around just enough to burn fat. Notice that TV, reading, and sleeping weren’t one of the things I mentioned.
Think about it…If you went shopping at your local mall everyday you could easily lose 1-2 lbs. a week just by walking around the mall a couple of times (That’s of course if you don’t make too many trips to the food court).

What about playing golf (without the cart), racquetball, or going out dancing everyday? That’s an easy (fun) weight loss of about 2 lbs a week right there.

Try to find something that you like to do that gets you up off you’re butt and do it everyday for at least 30 minutes (The longer the more fat you’ll burn).

Stop Losing Weight and Start Burning Fat

If you want to lose weight… just go on a diet, sit in a steam room for a couple of hours, or take some side-effect infested weight loss pill. If you want to look better as you lose weight…then you need to focus on burning fat.

Diets, steam rooms, and pills cause you to lose muscle and water weight. Losing muscle not only makes you look worse but it also lowers your metabolism making it easier for you to gain weight.
Have you ever noticed the people who lose weight on these “lose 30lbs in 8 days” programs still have flabby arms, a saggy butt, and pot belly? The reason why is that these programs tend to help people lose more good-looking muscle than ugly body fat.

Steam rooms cause you to lose water weight which you’ll gain back after you drink a couple glasses of water.

The best way to focus on burning fat is to lose no more than 2lbs a week. If you lose more than 2lbs a week you will only start to lose muscle and water.

A basic beginner’s fat loss plan would be to eat more and play golf everyday (please see the first two things you must do to lose weight).

Just Keep on Saying SO THAT

First, ask yourself Why you want to lose weight and after you come up with a reason why just keep on saying SO THAT.

For example—Why Do you want to lose weight
* I want to lose weight to look better SO THAT…
* I can feel more confident about myself SO THAT…
* I can be the best looking person at my high school reunion SO THAT…
* I can see the surprised looks on the faces of my classmates SO THAT …
* I may be able to go on a date with the person I had a crush on in high school

Can you see what’s happening here? The more times you say SO THAT the more and more motivated you’ll become to lose weight. I don’t know about you but if you can come up with at least three SO THATS nothing will stop you from losing weight.

There is not another subject on the planet more confusing than weight loss. There are literally thousands and thousands of books written on the topic and each one disagrees with the next. But, there is a secret to permanent weight loss and it is simple.

The real secret to permanent weight loss is…

The ability to sustain the daily practice of healthy, moderate eating and exercise habits long enough to attain the results you desire, and then continue performing these habits in order to maintain your results for lifelong success!

There is it. I know, it sounds simple but it is not! We live in a fast food, everything-should-be-easy, bigger-is-better society. Gluttony and instant gratification are the norm.

I believe there are three obstacles that thwart our ability to practice the healthy, moderate eating and exercise habits necessary to attain the results we desire, they are:

1) Getting most of our pleasure in life through the food we eat
2) Lack of long-term self-discipline in the areas of health and fitness
3) Lack of long-term self-motivation in the areas of health and fitness

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

OBSTACLE ONE

Most people are so busy day-in and day-out that the food they eat is their greatest pleasure. This is a true danger that prevents permanent weight loss. If you’re burning the candle at both ends, rushing from one commitment to the next all day long, when you sit down to eat you want it to be extra good, because you deserve it.

SOLUTION ONE

Find ways to get more pleasure in a day. Have ten minutes of quiet time everyday reading your favorite book or magazine, spend a few minutes with a friend on the phone, or begin a new hobby that is fun. It doesn’t take a lot of time; just find other ways to load up on pleasure so that you don’t have to load up on food.

OBSTACLE TWO

Most people do not have the chip in their brains that allows for joyful self-discipline in the areas of health and fitness. Most of us have to be disciplined to get to work on time, meet deadlines, follow traffic laws, but not to limit food or exercise regularly. Some rationalize that since they have to be so disciplined in other ways they don’t want to be when it comes to their food and exercise.

SOLUTION TWO

To establish long-term self-discipline you must focus on the joy of the reward you will get at the end of the road, not the challenge of the journey. So make a list of the top ten rewards you will gain when you lose weight. You must also ask yourself what it costs you to be overweight. Does it cost you your self-respect? Your joy and aliveness in life? Has it cost you a relationship or a job? Remembering the rewards and the cost makes practicing self-discipline a lot easier.

OBSTACLE THREE

It’s easy to be motivated around January 1st, but what happens to all that motivation around March 1st? Or the first time a brownie passes by? Believe it or not, most people are not the master of their own motivation. They think just because they want it that it is motivation enough, and it is not.

SOLUTION THREE

You must reinvent your motivation every day. To do this write the top ten reasons you want to lose weight and keep it off. Also, make a list of the people who motivate you to want to lose weight and why. Review these lists, along with the ones you created above, in the morning and in the evening. Your motivation is ever evolving so what motivated you last week might not be motivating next week. So revise your lists regularly.

When you overcome these obstacles you will lose weight because over time, you will find other ways to get pleasure in your life, you will practice positive self-discipline and learn to live on less food and love it, and you will reinvent the motivation everyday to keep it all going.

Having a great body is probably what all people are trying to achieve, and this includes the fat and thin people. Struggling to lose or to gain weight can oftentimes be very frustrating. It seems that no matter what you do, you can’t get things right. You still find difficulty in achieving the perfect body and the right weight.

Since our birth up to the present, our body has accumulated many toxin build ups. Some of the chemicals from all the foods and beverages that you’ve taken in your entire lifetime will build up because the body can’t handle the detoxification process alone.

Have you heard of detox programs? Many people are into this kind of programs because they claim that they have finally found the solution to their unhealthy way of life.

When you say unhealthy, it means that you are doing things which are somewhat harmful to your body, and even to other people. A typical example is cigarette smoking and drinking alcohol. Cigarette and alcohol have many harmful chemicals that are considered toxins once they entered a person’s body.

Through a detox program, you can expect to gain higher energy levels, relieve symptoms of asthma/diabetes, and slow down your aging process. But the very main reason why many people are into detox programs is to lose weight.

The detox program can also aid your body’s natural detox process. Since almost any person has some sort of ‘bad’ eating habit, not to mention their ‘other’ unhealthy ways of life, the body can’t cope up with all the toxins that need to be removed causing an imbalance in the body.

Detox programs can be done at home. There are home body-detox programs which can be easily followed, for a period of two weeks or more. These programs are focused in helping you lose weight, enhance circulation, increase body elimination, colon cleansing, detox diet, and provide nutrients for the liver. If you still don’t know yet, the liver is the main organ of the body which is responsible for the detoxification process. So you really need to protect and support this body organ.

People who have undergone this type of home body-detox programs say that they were able to lose weight much more quickly than other weight-loss products. Aside from that, they noticed that they now have clearer skin, improved digestion, improved energy, normal bowel movements, etc.

Home body-detox programs also teach you what foods are right for the body. Fresh vegetables and fruits are great for almost any weight loss program, most especially with a home detox. You can eat broccoli, onions, and sprouts, green and red veggies.

Virgin oils, lemon water, rice milk, wheat products, and non-caffeinated drinks (like tea) are also good for a home detox program. Drinking at least eight glasses of water everyday is also advisable.

A good home body-detox program will help a person restore his/her body’s balance, and efficiently removes all toxin build ups. But this doesn’t mean though that you will no longer be able to get toxins into your system. If you continue with your unhealthy lifestyle, over time you will again build up toxins in your body.

Start by slowly changing your lifestyle now. There are many resources which you can make use to aid you in changing little by little. This might take a long time, but your body will thank you for your efforts to change to a healthy way of life.

There is a great benefit acquired from losing weight. Though losing weight is not easy, the long term effects brought by it would probably be of help to anyone considering to shed those unwanted and unhealthy pounds.

The following are a few of the remarkable advantages from losing those excess weight.

Weight loss prevents high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke

That is a three in one benefit from losing weight. It is a fact that heart disease and stroke are one of the primary reasons for disability and death in both men and women in the US. People who are overweight have a higher risk to have high levels of cholesterol in their blood stream as well as triglycerides (also known as blood fat).

Angina, one type of heart disease, could cause chest pains as well as a decrease in the oxygen pumped to the heart.

Sudden death also occurs from heart disease and stroke, and usually this strikes with very little warning, signs and symptoms.

It is a fact that by decreasing your weight by a mere five to ten percent, this could positively decrease the chances of you having or developing heart disease or a stroke. Plus, how your heart functions would also improve as well as your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride count will decrease.

Weight loss prevents type 2 diabetes

Diabetes puts in jeopardy one’s life as well as how one leads his or her life because of the complications that result from having it. Both types of diabetes, type one and type two are linked with being overweight. To those who already have diabetes, regular exercise and losing weight could help in controlling your blood sugar levels as well as the medication you may be currently taking. Increase your physical activity. You could simply walk, jog or dance. It helps get those blood streams moving as well as lose those unnecessary pounds.

Weight loss helps reduce your risk for cancer

Being overweight is linked with a number of kinds of cancer. Specially for women, the common types of cancer that is associated with being overweight include cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, ovary, breast, and colon. This is not meant to scare you, this is only to keep you informed. Men are at risk too from developing cancer if they are overweight. These include cancer of the colon, prostate and rectum. Extra weight, a diet high in fat and cholesterol should as much as possible be avoided.

Weight loss reduces sleep apnea

Or it could eliminate it all together. Sleep apnea is a condition wherein one could temporarily stop breathing for a brief period and then would continue to snore heavily. Sleep apnea could cause drowsiness or sleepiness during the day and – because of being overweight – could result in heart failure. Shedding those excess pounds could help in eliminating this problem.

Weight loss reduces the pain of osteoarthritis

When one weighs heavily, the joints of his or her knees, hips and lower back would have to exert double – if not triple – effort to carry him or her through out his / her waking, walking and moving life. This could cause tension and stress on these joints. Weight loss decreases the load these joints carry thus decreasing – if not eliminating – the pain of one who has osteoarthritis.